Wilderness and Scenic Rivers Intern

The U.S. Forest Service’s Washington Office-National Forest System is seeking a Resource Assistant (RA) Fellow to work in the Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers (WWSR) programs at the agency’s Northern Region Office in Missoula, MT. The National WWSR Fellow will have an opportunity to make important contributions and gain valuable experiences through collaboration with multiple interdisciplinary staff areas, agencies, and nongovernmental partners that are critical to the success of these two programs.  The Northern Region is responsible for the stewardship of 5 million acres of designated Wilderness and over 500 miles of designated Wild and Scenic Rivers. The WWSR regional programs are run by a small but ambitious staff that coordinates local, regional, and national efforts across all levels of the Forest Service. 

The National WWSR RA Fellow will work as a ‘Natural Resource Specialist’ at the GS-07 or GS-09 level, depending on education and previous experience. The fellow will have the unique opportunity to focus on a variety of projects across Montana and Idaho. The RA will work with staff at District, Forest, Regional, and Washington Office levels to complete a variety of projects focused on Diversity Equity and Inclusion, interpretation and education, training development, and other natural resource management needs. This will require assessing current programs through research and meeting with staff, field site visits, facilitating meetings to gather input from multiple resource areas and partners, and developing products to share findings. The RA will also serve on a team to help plan and host regional field-based training sessions. The RA will gain a better understanding of how the agency approaches partnerships, education, working with diverse communities, and promoting training for WWSR work.

Start Date: February 6, 2023 – October 6, 2023 (Approximate)